Yorkshire shopping centre reveals plans for ‘UK’s largest free indoor playcentre’

Multiplay towers, slides, a gravity rider and interactive play panels will make up some of the all inclusive equipment to be built inside the new playcentre at The Ridings Shopping Centre in Wakefield.

Set to open in September, the play centre is the brainchild of new owners Z & F Properties Limited which is run by grandfather Zahid Iqbal who said: “My grandchildren love the play areas when we go visiting places and I wanted to give something spectacular to the families of Wakefield, for free, undercover and safe for them to meet up and for their children to play together.”

The adventure play zone has been designed by Playday Limited who are behind the play area at the York Designer outlet and the new play area at Cannon Hall Farm.

This is one of the ways in which Z & F Properties who recently purchased the Ridings Shopping Centre are hoping to bring back the vibrancy to the shopping centre. Their plans included the raft of new businesses opening, new shopfronts, replacing shutters and the introduction of this purpose designed and built, inclusive indoor children’s adventure play area.

Mr Iqbal, added: “Major decisions are having to be made to facilitate this regeneration and it has been decided to concentrate these efforts on the Centre itself and not on the peripheral property interests.

“It has been decided that several Kirkgate properties are to be put on the market with vacant possession.

“However, we have given existing tenants the opportunity to purchase their units, which three existing tenants have already agreed to do, meaning tenants who were on temporary tenancies, now can go onto a permanent tenancy, protecting their businesses futures and we do hope more, take us up on the offer.”

History to The Ridings Shopping Centre

The centre itself has become a Wakefield institution since it was built in 1983, before being bought by investment company NewRiver Retail in 2015.

The Ridings Shopping Centre in Wakefield was the first of its kind when it opened on October 17, 1983. The centre included an American-inspired food court, the first glass wall climber lift which was a replica of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Atlanta, and became a template for other shopping centres across the UK.